Knowledge and understanding
Graduates will be expected to display broad knowledge and understanding of fundamental principles involved in their chosen field of mechanical engineering and to apply these principles competently and responsibly to the design, manufacture, installation, control and operation of new and existing systems, the maintenance and management of machines, thermodynamic processes, manufacturing processes, materials handling plants and general engineering systems. They will be expected to have acquired a basic understanding of:
* analytical methods required for the design of functional engineering components and complete engineering systems;
* computer programming and its application to design, manufacturing, control and operation of manufacturing processes;
* optimisation techniques applied to the solution of any engineering component/systems within a set of constraints posed by economic factors, safety considerations, end user and the impact on the environment;
* the principles of management of physical, human and financial resources associated with the practice of engineering;
* experimental techniques and their application;
* the adaptation of commercially available designs to new system design, product design and product improvements.
Professional skills
Graduates will be expected to be able to critically appraise, plan and manage industrial projects as individuals and as members of a team; and to approach work, community responsibilities and personal development in a professional manner. They will be expected to have developed professional skills enabling them to:
* apply techniques of lateral thinking in engineering design, especially to the design of new products and systems through the integration of new concepts and commercially available designs or sub-assemblies;
* predict behaviour of engineering components and processes;
* optimise design, performance and human resources;
* critically evaluate tender proposals and vendor offerings;
* accommodate the need for change to reflect the rapid change of technology and customer requirements;
* operate effectively as an individual or as a member of a team;
* plan and manage engineering tasks using appropriate resources;
* use computer packages in the solution of engineering problems;
* identify possible problems and be aware of existing solutions;
* effectively communicate through oral and written material with his or her peers and the general public.
Attitudes and behaviour
Graduates will be expected to have developed attitudes facilitating leadership, lifelong learning, cultural curiosity and ethical responsibility to the community. They will be expected to display:
* acceptance of new ideas and willingness to participate in change in the workplace
* acceptance of continual updating of personal professional knowledge and skills;
* acceptance of ethical responsibilities to the community and the profession;
* acceptance of environmental responsibilities to the planet.
Course of studies
Mechanical engineering is the practice that has arisen from the need to generate, transmit and control mechanical energy. This practice brings with it the need to study methods of generation, transmission and control and increasingly to employ scientifically based tools. Today, mechanical engineering has as its core the interaction of people and machines and the control of that interaction. Mechanical engineers will be found designing, manufacturing and commissioning nuclear power plants, controlling physical environments, aerospace development, exploring forms of transportation, devising new machines and ways of controlling new machines and concerning themselves with all aspects of mechanical handling systems and methods of production of anything manufactured in material form. They will be found not only in factories, research establishments, or in a consulting practice, but also in the mineral resource, chemical process and agricultural industries. They will regard their function as one of design, production, operation, consulting, technical management, general management, research and development and maintenance of complex plants.
The undergraduate course is designed to provide a fundamental and broad training to allow graduates to steer their course into any of these areas as they now exist or as they might develop in future. The course offers a sound training in engineering experimentation and in the physical and engineering sciences. It includes comprehensive studies in design in which the analytical tools are brought to bear in a synthesis which accounts satisfactorily for economic, organisational and human factors. The use of computers in data reduction and in system modelling is studied. Third and fourth years include an industrial project whilst, during the final year, either a major experimental project or substantial participation with a design team actively engaged with practising engineers is arranged. The results are presented by thesis and orally.
The design of the course attempts also to acknowledge the interdisciplinary nature of modern engineering and to provide the graduate with a facility for expanding his or her own development into related fields. It provides a working knowledge of the elements of control, stress systems, electronics instrumentation, microcomputers and managerial procedures.